Don't let success ruin you!
(Pastor Rick Warren/Pastor Sam Livingston)
As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise. (Proverbs 27:21).
Do you believe God tests us with success?
Does that sound strange? You might have an easier time believing that God tests you with stress, hard times or suffering.
But think about it.
You’ve seen success ruin people.
Michael Vick dog fighting.
Tiger Woods & Bill Cosby with all of the concubines.
Pete Rose and gambling.
Harvey Weinstein and sexual harassment.
Pastor Jamal Bryant side women and baby while married/Pastoring.
Saul, the first and powerful king of Israel, was apparently a psychotic with manic bursts of anger, episodes of deep depression and traces of paranoia, too. (1 Samuel 16, 18, 19, 31)
David, the friend of God, concealed his adultery with a murder. (2 Samuel 11)
Solomon, the wisest man in the world, was arguably the world’s greatest sex addict with 1,000 sexual partners. (1 Kings 11)
Judas betrayed Jesus.
We’ve read the stories.
It is debatable but more people have been ruined by success than by suffering. Suffering tends to push people toward God. But when people are successful, they often forget about God.
For this reason we must practice how to handle success.
How would you act with 2 million dollars?
How would you act with a brand spanking new house?
How would you act if God gives you favor with a few stars?
How would you act if all of a sudden the healing ministry came on you like it did Jesus at age 30 something?
The healing ministry could come on you at age 50, 60, 70 or 90 who’s to say.
Who would commercialize
For every person who can handle pain, you’ll find very few who can handle fame.
The praise goes to their head, and it destroys them.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 27:21, “As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise".
In reality, every compliment is a test. Compliments and criticisms are a bit like chewing gum. You can chew on them awhile, but don’t swallow them. Both of them can really mess you up.
It’s so easy to forget God when success comes your way. But if you remember that your success comes from God, you will pass the success test every time.
All of us God could not bless to sing like Ms. Essie’s, bless the dead, children and grandchildren. People could not sit by us because our heads would be too large.
I Sam chapter 8 (Read; Samuel Son’s)
"This is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President; it shall be a government for white men." —Andrew Johnson, 1866 Andrew Johnson is one of only two presidents to be impeached (Bill Clinton is the other). Johnson, a Democrat from Tennessee, was Lincoln's vice president at the time of the assassination. But Johnson did not hold the same views on race as Lincoln, a Republican, and he repeatedly clashed with the GOP-dominated Congress over nearly every measure related to Reconstruction.
Johnson tried to outmaneuver Congress in readmitting Southern states to the Union, opposed the 14th Amendment, and illegally fired his secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, leading to his impeachment.
Johnson's presidency was full of strife and dissension. He disagreed with many on Reconstruction. As can be seen from his impeachment and the close vote which almost removed him from office, he was not respected and his vision of reconstruction was ignored. During his time in office, the thirteenth and fourteenth amendments were passed freeing the slaves and extending rights to slaves.
